I hadn't realized the difference between these two words until recently -- until yesterday, actually!
Anyone who's grown peonies would probably know these words and their differences.
Deciduous = meaning that its stem or trunk during winter is still visible.
Herbaceous = meaning that the whole plant dies back to the ground each winter, to begin growing from the roots each spring.
Here is what Webster's says:
Deciduous:
1: falling off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle (deciduous leaves, deciduous scales)
2
a: having deciduous parts (maples, birches, and other deciduous trees)
b: having the dominant plants deciduous (a deciduous forest)
Herbaceous:
of a stem: having little or no woody tissue and persisting usually for a single growing season.
Here is an example of a deciduous plant whose leaves are just budding back up in spring
Thread Title | Last Reply | Replies |
---|---|---|
Great to know by valleylynn | Mar 8, 2015 10:54 AM | 5 |